Stressing his love for the Prophet Muhammad, army chief adds case is purely legal matter and law and order must be kept
Amid escalating tensions over the acquittal of Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman, for blasphemy, Pakistan's powerful army on Friday said the matter was purely legal, and that the military had nothing to do with it.
"There is no compromise on our love of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon Him,” Ghafoor continued. “[But] Aasia Bibi's case is a legal issue which was being heard for the last 10 years. We should allow it to be disposed of through the legal process."
Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, firebrand head of the newly emerged Sunni group Tehreek e Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), called on his followers "to get ready for martyrdom."
A three-member bench of the top court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar acquitted Aasia Bibi, who had been sentenced to death by a district court in November 2010 for blaspheming Muhammad.
In Pakistan, blaspheming Islam or Muhammad is a criminal offense that can carry the death penalty. While the state has never executed anyone under the law, mere allegations have stirred mass protests and violence.